Tandem attachment for ironing-presses



C. L. BRALEY. TANDEM ATTACHMENT FOR IRONING PRESSES. APPLICATION FILEDAue,24, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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ATTOH/VE Y5.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

c. L. BRALEY.

TANDEM ATTACHMENT FOR IRONING PRESSES.

' Patented Nov. 29, 1921,

3SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICAHUR FILED AUG.24, 1916.

, INVENT F? ATTORNEYJ.

C. L. BRALEY.

TANDEM ATTACHMENT FUR IRONING PRESSES. APPLICATION FILED AUG-24, 1916.

1,398,834., Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IN VEN TOR ATTORNEYS.

secure the best pressing results.

-ll er Parent orrice.

' CHARLES L. BnALEmor CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN LAUNDRYMACHINERY COMPANY, OF GINCINNATLOHIO, GORPORATION OF OEIO.

TANDEM ATTACHMENT FOB, IRONING-PRESSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

Application filed August 24, 1916. SerialNo. 116,696.

of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TandemAttachments for Ironing-Presses, of which the following is aspecification. I

This invention relates to pressing machines, and more particularly topressing machines operated in pairs by a single operator.

In the operation of a pressing machine, such/.as' a machine for pressinggarments or articles of any kind, it is essential, after application ofpressure to the article being pressed to hold said article underpressure for an appreciable length of time, in order to To avoididleness of the operator while the article is being held under pressureit is customary to have a single operator manipulate two machineslocated adjacent each other. While an article is being held underpressure in one machine, the operator places an article in the secondmachine and applies the pressure thereto and then goes back to the firstmachine, releases the pressure upon the article in said machine andfeeds another article thereto, and so on.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved mechanism ordevices enabling the two pressing machines to be operated conjointlywith a minimum amount of labor and attention in a manner to save time,the arrangement being preferably such that the operator can releaseeither machine while standing at the other.

- Further objects of the invention are" in part obvious and in part'willappear more in detail hereinafter. I I v I The invention comprises theconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure -1 represents a plan view, illustrating, theinvention applied to-two machines located side" by side; Fig. 2 is aside elevation from the right in Fig. 1, .and shows one form of pressingmachine to which the invention maybe applied; Fig- 3 is a front view ofthe treadle mechanism, illustrating a latch; and Fig. 4 is a plan view,illustrating another embodiment ofthe invention. v

The invention may be applied to any form of pressing machine, such as anordinary garment press, a press adapted for special work, such as thepressing of underwear, ladies garments, shirt cufi's, neckbands, andyokes, or the like, or the universal pressing machine shown in Fig. 2,said machine being adapted for pressing a wide variety of articles.Briefly stated, said machine comprises. a frame or body 1 supporting astati onary lower pressing member 2 and having an upright standard orcolumn 3 on which is pivoted an arm or lever 4 carryingthe movable upperpressing member 5,

.which is adapted, by movement of said lever,

to be moved into cooperating pressing relation with the lower pressingmember 2.

Any suitable means may be provided for I operating said lever for movingthe pressing members into cooperating relation, the particular meansshown being of the form illustrated, described and claimed in a priorapplication of Charles L. Braley for pressing machine, filed August 15,1916, Serial No.

114,794. As illustrated herein it comprises a treadle 6 pivoted in theframe and carrying a roller 7 traveling on a cam face 8 of anintermediate lever 9 which supports a roller 10 traveling on a cam face11 of a depending arm 12 attached to the arm or lever 4. When saidtreadle is depressed by applying the foot to the foot plate 13 thereon,

the two rollers travel over their'cam .faces and depress the lever 4 soas to bring the two pressing members into cooperating relation,

As is customary in such machines, means pressing member in pressingrelation with the lowerpressing member. Said means, in

the machine shown, comprises a latch 14 stationary hook- 16 whereuponthe retracting spring .19 oscillates the arm 4 to the position shown-inFig. 2. e

The release arm r18 is mounted upon a shaft 20carried in brackets 21 onthe frame base, and said arm 18 is usual y p vided is provided forholding or looking the upper with a counterweight 22 which normallyholds it out of engagement with the latch 14. It may be swung intoengagement therewith, for releasing the press, by pressing down 011 thefoot plate 23 of a short treadle arm 23 attached to the shaft 20.

Fig. 1 illustrates the operating levers of. two pressing machineslocated side by side, each of said machines being of the form shown inFigs. 2 and 3. The shaft 20 of-one machine, marked A, extends laterallytherefrom througha bearing 24:, supported on the floor, its outer endbeing detachably coupled or connected in any suitable manner to" theshaft 20 of the other machine. As shown it extends into a couplingsleeve 25 pinned or otherwise attached to the end of the shaft 20 of thesecond machine B, said sleeve being provided with a clamping or setscrew 26 for securing it non-rotatably to the shaft 20 of machine A. Thetreadle arms 6 and 23 are so formed that their foot plates lie closelyadjacent to each other, as shown in Fig. 1.

The mechanism described operates as follows The operator places agarment in machine A, and presses down upon the actuating treadle 6, soas to apply the pressure of the pressing members to said garment. Thetwo pressing members of machine A are held locked in pressing engagementby the lock or latch of machine A, shown in Fig. 3. The operator thensteps over to machine B, which is opened or released, and places anarticle or garment to be pressed upon the lower pressing member thereof.-When said garment is properly arranged, suflicient time has elapsed tocomplete the pressing of the 1 garment or article on machine A. The op--erator, therefore, applies her foot to the two treadles 6 and 23 ofmachine B with'the heel of the foot on pressure treadle 6, and the toeon the release treadle 23. Depression of the treadle 6 applies thepressure to machine B, while depressionof treadle 23 oscillates the twocoupled shafts 20 and releases machine A. \Vhen both levers have beendepressed and machine A is released, the operator turns her foot to oneside or the other so as to disengage it from the treadle 23, but holdingit upon treadle 6; This allows the release arms 18 of the two machinesto drop and enables the latching or locking mechanism of machine B tooperate and lock the pressing members thereof in pressing engagementwith each other. The operator then steps over to machine A, removes thegarment or article therefrom and places a new garment in positiontherein. She then applies her foot to the treadles ofmachine A in thesame manner as at machine B, thereby releasing machine B and producingpressing relation between the pressing members of machine A. r

This arrangement enables a'single opera each embodying relatively movabtor to manipulate two machines with a single foot stroke, and with aminimum of travel and effort. It saves times and enables the operator tocomplete a greater amount of work than when the two machines are notcoupled'to each other.

-The two machines may also be located at any desired angle to eachother. Fig. 4 illus.

trates a modification in which the two pressing machines marked A and B,are located at angles of 90 to each other. In this case, the shafts 20of said machines are not only connected by the coupling sleeve 25, butalso by some suitable means which allows the shafts 20 of the twomachines to lie at an angle to each other. This may, for example,

be a universal or knuckle joint or two intermeshing bevel gears, asshown at 27. These machines are operated in the same manner as.

those before described.

With both arrangements described, two machines may be readily freed fromcoupling engagement with each other by unscrewing the clamping screw 26,thereby allowing the shafts 20 of the two machines to rotateindependently.

What I claim is 1. Apparatus of the class described, comprising aplurality of pressin machines, each embodying relatively movablepressing members and a plurality of controlling treadles therefor, andoperating connections between treadles on different machines wherebyoperation of a treadle of one machine produces a controlling Pefi'ectupon another machine.

2. Apparatus of the character] described, comprising a plurality ofpressing machines, each embodying relatively movable pressing members,means for moving .the pressing.

members of each machine into pressing. rep lation, means for releasingeach machine including operative, connections between said machineswhereby one machine can be released by operation of the said releasemeans for the release. of another machine.v

3. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a plurality ofpressing members, means for moving the pressing tion, releasing meansforeach machine, operatlve connections between the releasmg machines, epressing members of each machine into pressmg relameans of saidmachinesto enable one mar chine to be. released by operation of the releasemeans of another machine.

4:. Apparatus of the character de ribed,

comprising a plurality'of pressing mahines,

each embodying relatively movable pressing members, operator-operatedmeans for mov-v ing the pressmg members of each machine into pressingrelation and means for releas-.

in the same, a part 'of said releasing means being located in closeproximity to a part of said. first namedmean's so as to be capable oftemporary operation as part of the same operating action applied to saidfirst named means, and operatlve connections between said machineswhereby one machine can be released by operation of the said releasemeans of another machine.

5. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a plurality ofpressing machines, each embodying an operating treadle and arelease-treadle, the two treadles'of each machine having foot plateslocated adjacent to each other whereby both treadles may be depressedsimultaneously, and operating connections between the releasetreadlesofthe said machines.

6. Apparatus of the character described, comprismg a plurality ofpressing machines, each embodying cooperating pressing members, atreadle on each machine for producing pressing relation between itspressing members, latching means on each machine for maintaining saidrelation, means on each machine for releasing the latching meansthereof, and means whereby operation of the releasing means of onemachine releases the latching means of another machine.

7. Apparatus of the character described. comprising two pressingmachines, each embodying cooperating pressing members, .a treadle oneach machine for producing pressing relation between its ressingmembers, latching means for maintaining said relation, means on eachmachine for releasing the latching means thereof, and connectionsbetween the two machines whereby either machine may be released by anoperator at the other.

8. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a plurality ofpressing machines,

each embodying relatively movable pressing members, means for closingsaid members, means for producing relative movement of said members torelease them from pressing relation, and operating means at each machineoperatively connected to another machine for'causing actuation of thereleasing means at said other machine independently of the closingoperation.

. 9. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a plurality ofpressing machines, each embodying relatively movable pressing members,means for positively latching the pressing members of each machine inpressing relation, and operating means at each machine operativelyconnected to another machine for releasing the latching means of saidother machine.

10. Apparatus of the character described, comprising two pressingmachines. each embodying relatively movable pressing members, means forlatching the pressing members of each machine in pressing relation, apressure treadle and a release treadle at each machine, and meanswhereby actuation of the release treadleof one machine releases thelatching means of the other machine.

11. In apparatus of the class described,

the combination with a plurality of pressing machines, each embodyingrelatively movable pressing members, and an operating member therefor,of a mechanically actuated locking member for each operating member, andmeans at each machine for controlling all of said locking members.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLES L. BRALEY.

Witnesses:

Jos. H. SPELmR, Geo. W. SEARS.

